Top Graphic Novel Reviews

I will be randomly jumping about the volumes and they follow no particular order. The first GN that I am reviewing is World’s End.

This books is a wonderful collection of short stories ala Canterbury’s Tales. It is easily one of my top 3 favourite books in this series. It is a rather short one, with just 7 chapters but each of those chapters are, in their own right, a trove full of treasures. I shall not spoil the fun by giving away too much but several characters and stories stand out. Not like a sore thumb stand out but like a rich diamond kind of stand out. Basically, travelers of different dimensions, time and space got caught in a storm and were gather in this little inn. Here, they share their stories and pass their time as they hope the storm would.

The first tale, “A Tale of 2 Two Cities” by one Mister Gaheris. It is a story about a man who lived in the city and had lived in the city all his life. He goes about his routine daily work life and is quite the loner. The spends his lunch time and after work hours touring his city. Admiring and absorbing the sights and sounds of this marvel of a city. You can almost feel for him. He ends up inside the dream of city and meets many brilliant characters along the way. How he struggles to get out and how the city should never wake…

This story is superb because you can draw many parallels from the story and your own life. You can see a little of yourself in him and its the way that these bits appear, so sublime and well craft that you can really appreciate the genius that is Gaiman.

The other tale that I would like bring up is “Hob’s Leviathan”. The story is told by the young “boy” who was in that story itself. His sea-lust and dream of sailing was spawned from his early years. You build up feelings for the characters very quickly even though their appearance is rather brief. Old character reappear in the form of one certain Mr. Galdings. He makes more then a cameo here. The people they meet, the thing they saw and how he dealt with it. Of course what is a good ending without a few surprises?

More then anything, the interactions and on-goings in the inn itself between the colorful characters is an interesting tale to watch and behold. The ending ends with a BANG and it is only a prelude to bigger events to come.

An accolade I might add by UK Online:

“World’s End Demonstrates that there is much more to the modern comic than costumed superheroes. In these pages you will find real emotion, stunning artwork…and most Important of all, spellbinding stories…it’s one of the most richly rewarding experiences the graphic novel has to offer”

I would have definitely go on rambling more if not for his other reviews. Go get it from your local bookstore, through my Amazon links or something. It really makes up a enriching read.

To sum it up, I quote what Stephen King’s wrote in his pretty little introduction for World’s End :

“It is a classic format,, but in several of them there are stories within stories, like eggs within eggs, or more properly, nested chinese boxes.”